Portrait of Yuhyogeol

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.2318

Category

Painting

Era

조선 후기

Designated year

2026

Location

천안시, 충청남도— 충청남도 천안시 동남구 천안삼거리길 27(삼룡동, 천안박물관)

Coordinates

36.786696, 127.163290Kakao address conversion

This English description was machine-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the original Korean text for details.

The 'Portrait Painting of Yu Hyo-gyeol and Associated Trunk' represents the portrait of Yu Hyo-gyeol (柳孝傑, 1594-1627), who earned designation as a Second-Rank Meritorious Subject in the Jinmu Merit Category through suppressing the rebellion led by Yi Gal, a fellow meritorious subject of the Injo Restoration. Royal bestowal of meritorious subject certificates and meritorious subject portrait paintings occurred in 1625, one year following Yu Hyo-gyeol's 1624 (Injo 2) merit designation, with related documentation preserved in the 'Meritorious Subjects of Yeongsa and Jinmu Registry.' The designated work represents a painting transmitted through successive family descendants with well-documented provenance. The figure wears an official cap and ceremonial court robes with a rhinoceros-unicorn chest insignia badge and an official rank belt around the waist. The figure is depicted in respectful posture with hands joined in formal greeting, seated in an official chair and positioned in a three-quarter left-facing pose, conforming to conventional compositional format and iconography of 17th-century meritorious subject portrait paintings. Mounted as a hanging scroll, the work exhibits stylistic characteristics distinct from early-17th-century meritorious subject portraits through its deep-tone wash, brownish facial coloration, and weak brushwork. Additionally, the golden wave patterns visible on the chest insignia background contrast with earlier meritorious subject portraits employing thunder cloud patterns. Most significantly, this work derives particular importance through transmission alongside a chest insignia storage trunk created contemporaneously with the portrait itself, a rare surviving example from this historical period.

Location